What this blog is about...

This blog aims to educate consumers (like you and me) on how to spot fake / counterfeit products before making a purchase. Please note that I am not related to any of the product manufacturers.

What triggered me to set up this blog was after I fell victim to a fake product that I bought from a financial institution which was running a 'most wanted gadget' promotion.

If you have any tips / tricks / personal experiences in spotting fakes, do contribute to this website by emailing me at more.enquiry@gmail.com

Saturday, November 12, 2011

How to spot a fake Mophie Juice Pack Plus for iPhone 4 / 4S

My personal experience...

Background
My local financial institution was running a 'most wanted gadgets' promotion and they had these Mophie Juice Pack Plus (for iPhone 4 / 4S) on sale. This product if purchased from my local authorised resellers would cost USD124. The promotion was selling it for only USD47. I bought 4 pieces and suspected that the products fakes as the quality was not as good as the genuine ones from authorised resellers. I contacted the manufacturer and got confirmation that the ones that I bought were fakes.

How to spot the fake
I eventually got the genuine product, did a comparison and end up with the following findings. Please note that I cannot confirm that my findings are correct. Do take a look and you be the judge :)

(i) Packaging
Fake packaging (underneath the flap) is black and you can't see the wordings printed on the box. Genuine packaging fades from black to grey (top to buttom) and you can read the wordings.

Fake packaging packs the Juice Pack Plus facing up. Real packaging packs the Juice Pack Plus facing down.

(ii) Serial Number tag
Fake serial number tags seems to be shabby compared to the real ones.

(iii) Inner packaging (back of the box that holds the product)
The fine printing on the fake packaging cannot be read. The fine printing on the real packaging is very clear.


(iv) Inner packaging (backing with the words Mophie Loves You)
The fonts are different. Look out for the E, S, U. See if you can spot the difference.

(v) Quality of product
Most obvious factor in spotting the fake. The fake product has a huge gap and fitment is not good.


ALL buttons on the fake products cannot be pressed. They are like glued to the casing itself. Buttons on the real products can (obviously) be pressed :) There seems to be a difference in the buttons too.

35 comments:

  1. Useful post indeed, thank you!
    You saved me from buying some chinese crap from ebay.....

    I am ordering the gen version directly from mophie right now..

    ReplyDelete
  2. I purchased a Mophie Juice Pack Plus 2,000mAH from an eBay seller in Singapore. After paying, I asked him if the item was genuine. He frankly admitted that it was NOT AUTHENTIC. He promised to give me a refund if I sent back the Mophie to him.

    After receiving the item, I inspected the unit and the packaging. Initially I could not tell the difference at all. Although fake, the quality was so high and the battery capacity was also very good.

    The "+" and "-" volume buttons can be pressed (moveable) but unfortunately the main power button is glued dead to the case. This is perhaps the only difference. The screen can still be toggled on/off by pressing the main power button. In fact, pressing the top of the case (next to the power button) will toggle the screen. This might turn on the screen when you slide it into your pocket.

    The built quality is excellent. It feels so nice to hold. My iPhone 4S fits nicely into the case.

    I doubt genuine Mophie Juice Pack Plus are sold in Malaysia or Singapore. Earlier I saw them being sold at Challenger (Singapore) and Switch (Malaysia). Since last month, I could not find any unit after visiting those stores. I called different branches and could not find even one.  I guess they finally realized they have been accidentally selling fake items and decided to remove all. Searching eBay and you can see Mophie being sold by China sellers as low as US$20+.

    These battery cases are being sold in www.lowyat.net forum at RM230~300 and so far nobody has yet to prove them genuine. All buyers seemed to be very happy. I  purchased mine at US$56 or RM$168 (including delivery to Malaysia). I contacted two eBay buyers (who bought from the same seller as mine) and both told me they believed theirs were genuine (which is not).

    At US$56 (RM$168)  it is definitely a good buy if leaving piracy issues aside.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I just got mine today for RM 85 (US$26) at lowyat plaza and this looks like a real one. Most importantly it fits nicely to my 4s and does give me a nice grip (only it's too bulky). I normally don't go for pirated stuff, but i might need a battery pack for emergency case, and $120 isn't a good investment if you don't really need one. :|

      Delete
  3. I JUST bought the juice pack plus and from the smell of it I could tell it was fake. No really. There was this pungent smell of cheap rubber/plastic. I had a very good comparison with a real one and a fake one because I bought one from eBay (stupid of me) and one from Staples. The real one smelled like my juice pack air I bought a week ago and the fake one stank. The packaging is 99% identical and the flaws were evident on the fake one (not perfect fit on the separation points, different material feel).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. agreed. the fake one smells like burning plastic

      Delete
  4. I fell victim to this scam too a couple of weeks ago. I bought one for my wife off ebay and it was the real deal. I decided I also wanted one so I bought one off ebay too. I knew instantly something wasn't right. The box was nearly identical but the product itself it's drastically lighter in weight and all the points you pointed out above also stood out. I was livid. I wrote to the seller demanding my money back. He insisted that I pay for return shipping to get my full refund, no mention at all that it is a fake. I refused that offer and pointed out that I have photo proof that your item is counterfeit which is a violation of ebay policy to sell unauthorized replica. If you want your product back, you pay for return shipping in addition to a refund for my purchase. I felt that this is only fair. I was duped into thinking that I was buying a real mophie juice pack plus I examined carefully the items description and title and flat out this seller uses the mophie name, mophie product pictures and more. There was a slight mention in the items specifics that this product is unbranded/generic. Still I felt totally mislead that I was indeed buying a genuine mophie juice pack. I did get a email stating that I can keep the item and he'll issue my refund. I left him negative feedback for his shady item description, which he felt he didn't deserve of course. IF YOU BOUGHT YOUR ITEM FROM EBAY AND IT'S A FAKE, I ENCOURAGE YOU TO REPORT IT TO EBAY. Talk to the seller, find out if it is real. It's the only way to keep it honest. It protects the buyers as well as the legit sellers. And I agree that some people are totally fine with a fake mophie product. There are others, like myself that want genuine product and I've seen sellers trying to pass off the knock offs as real mophie with real mophie prices. Incredible how many people don't even know what they bought isn't the real deal. Sellers please disclose it and let your consumer decide if a fake product is what suits them.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I just received one of these fakes from Amazon.com (one of those sold by someone else and "fulfilled by Amazon).

    They are getting better. The buttons worked fine. The only clue I had was the wrong font on the "S" and the "u" and the poor print in the small letters on the box. The "Made for iPhone 4" had a shadow on the font on the fake (or it could be a misprint - 2 prints not overalapping correctly).

    The batteryt started rattling inside on the second day. I returned it to Amazon and bought another from Best Buy (to be sure it's not fake).

    The difference is there once you get to feel the real one. The fit is also different. The real one just felt better made. With that, I can now trust that the insides (which is what really counts) is of good quality. Who knows what kind of battery the fake one had inside.

    ReplyDelete
  6. who are the local authorised resellers in Malaysia? thanks.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You can try 'machines' if you are located anywhere near Jusco, Tebrau city, johor bahru.

      Delete
  7. I really wanted to get one of these mophie case's for myself since I am always needing to charge my iPhone 4 at all the wrong times. I got online bought a Red mophie juice pack plus for $50 from some young kid off Craigslist. I put it on my iPhone 4 and it appeared to work, had a charge, didn't seem fake...at first.
    Then I came home, heard about some fake mophies going around, came across this blog and then all of a sudden, after reading more posts here, I noticed my battery or something on the inside starting moving around.
    Then, it must have been the battery because it would no longer hold a charge and the lights stopped working.
    Make a long story short, I went to Best Buy, used some of my Best Buy Rewards cash, ($25.00) and got the same case except in black for $74 (plus tax of course) and I could tell the red was a fake.
    The mophie on the front case was not the same font, my red case DID NOT fit like this black one, and the material seemed...more fake compared to the one I bought from Best Buy.
    I also noticed the buttons worked 100% better than the fake red case, and also the red case would barely charge my iPhone to about 85% with four lights with the mophie. Also, on the inside cover, the serial number decal was not cut squarely and a little off compared to the NICE, CLEAN cut, perfect square label on the new black case.
    BE CAREFUL buyers, there are fake mophies out there.

    ReplyDelete
  8. These chinese knock offs are really getting near authentic. Bought one off Amazon two weeks ago and It kind of took me a while to realize that it was a fake. The quality is too good to be a knockoff but it was. I was gonna go haywire on the seller but it works just as good and it was pretty cheap. $80 is just a bit too much for me to spend on a case, not even a defender series.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I purchased mine from www.focalprice.com. It seems to be a fake.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I am for sure returning again for more contents of yours.
    Apple iPhone 4

    ReplyDelete
  11. I bought one from some Asian seller on eBay. That bastard sent me one that didn't hold a charge!! This is why we destroyed you in Nagasaki!

    ReplyDelete
  12. The recent "fakes" have made fined tune and the packaging resembles the real thing. The buttons can be "pressed" too, So beware. One onlibe seller (S$45) replied to my sms when I asked how long to charge up. She said "9 hours" and added "if you so worried, then buy from Apple Store". By the way, the real mophie charges up in 2 hours.

    ReplyDelete
  13. I went for a trip to beijing china and bought it there for only RM40.. Compared it to this post, i find that mine is fake, but, for RM40 , the quality is good, i mean, its like having a 100% extra battery.. I travelled a lot and this fake casing saved me the trouble of charging and from out of battery.. But still, a fake is a fake.. (>_<)

    ReplyDelete
  14. You have very rich informative posts that is really interesting to many readers. I really appreciate your work
    Comparative Market Analysis

    ReplyDelete
  15. Mophie should be paying for this website which is doing alot of people a favour. Keep it up.

    ReplyDelete
  16. I should have done more research before purchasing two mophie juice pack plus at $44.95 each on Ebay. What was I thinking! Did I really believe I was going to get quality and also the one year peace of mind warranty? Ridiculous!
    This post is very helpful. I only noticed the fake after it was pointed out to me. I still do not know how to proceed. I think I am going to contact mophie direct and verify using my serial number. After I confirm I will come down on the ebayer with his nearly perfect feedback and hundreds of happy buyers. Poor people. They don't even know what they have purchased.
    Mine has a 2000mAh battery that I charge at night by my bed. What if it catches on fire? I have noticed it get hot! Not good. Who will be responsible? Some small factory in Malaysia?

    ReplyDelete
  17. Also LEDs dont flash when charging.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Çok detaylı ile yazılan güzel. Ben sizin bilgi gerçekten takdir. Paylaşım için teşekkürler. ucuz iphone 4

    ReplyDelete
  19. Nice cell phones with awesome features thanks for sharing it.telekupon

    ReplyDelete
  20. i was also face this problem and i am hurt of this before that we aware any time to purchase any product and gadgets.
    wholesale iphone 4 cover

    ReplyDelete
  21. The original Mophie, when is charging it charge at the same time the iPhone; the fake charge only the external battery

    ReplyDelete
  22. I bought my Mophie at Apple and paid a premium price. It does not work. No led lights. Drained my ipad.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Really a great blog with a best thoughts and ideas are shared thanks for sharing such an interesting tips about spot a fake mophie pack.

    jbl flip black Bluetooth speaker USA

    ReplyDelete
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  27. Thanks for this blog. Hope so that it will eventually help me during my next purchase. People who are really interested in making their career in online business then they must take the help from an ebay Consultant so as to make their business profitable.

    ReplyDelete
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  29. just bought one in MBK, Bangkok for 6+. could not find a real one at any apple shop in town. it's a really good fake. everything works, but the bat can't be 4000+, more like 1500 or 2000 capacity. 36 USD.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Great information, I was always worried about the authenticity of the product, Now I will check. Thanks for sharing this information.

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